Shakur Stevenson says a light-weight unification struggle between him and Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis should occur as a result of they’re the very best fighters.
Sadly, for WBC 135-lb champion Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs), a struggle between them will not be occurring subsequent as a result of His Excellency desires to match him towards #1 William Zepeda on a proposed card with Terence Crawford vs. Vergil Ortiz Jr.
Shakur, 27, may not win that struggle towards Zepeda (31-0, 27 KOs), given the Mexican fighter’s superior energy and offensive abilities. Stevenson can’t stand within the pocket and struggle Zepeda as he typically did for his final opponent, Artur Harutyunyan.
Zepeda hits too laborious and throws too many punches for a pot-shot fighter like Shakur to battle him within the trenches. The one approach Shakur can struggle Zepeda is by operating as he did towards Edwin De Los Santos, and he would possibly win utilizing that method.
Shakur hasn’t confirmed himself to be in Tank Davis’s class. His fights towards De Los Santos and Joet Gonzalez confirmed that he’s not on Tank’s stage.
Andre Ward: “Gervonta Davis, is it simply boxing beef, or is it actual beef?” stated Ward on the All The Smoke Struggle YouTube channel. “The place did it originate from? I do know it’s a protracted story however no matter you possibly can share.”
Shakur Stevenson: “It’s sort of greater than boxing, I suppose you would say. The historical past and every little thing that went on. It’s laborious to even communicate on it simply because we acquired to struggle.”
Ward: “You’re feeling that’s going to occur?”
Shakur: “Yeah, I do know it’s going to occur. I’m the very best, and he’s the very best. So while you acquired two guys which can be the very best, how are you going to not struggle? The one approach you can’t struggle is that if one of many guys isn’t like that, and someone goes off to lose, or someone takes an L.
“I believe with each of us, we’re each fighters that’s actually good fighters on that stage.”
Ward: “From a boxing standpoint, what makes Tank Tank? We see the facility, but it surely’s acquired to be greater than that.”
Shakur: “Nah, he’s strategic. He’s setting guys up. He’s been boxing since he was slightly child similar to I’ve been boxing since I used to be slightly child, and you may inform along with his expertise. Even in his final struggle with Frank Martin, you would see Frank Martin was an newbie.
“The expertise he’s acquired will not be on the extent of Tank. He simply took off with expertise. He let him waste his vitality, gassed him out, after which spherical eight, it’s time to go house.”
Ward: “What would you wish to see that struggle [Tank Davis] occur?”
Shakur: “Every time. I believe I’m prepared for it, and he’s prepared for it. We’re each in our primes. It might occur subsequent. It might occur subsequent yr. Every time he say ‘Let’s struggle,’ that;s when it;s going to occur.”